Mechanisms of cell coordination in epithelial morphogenesis analyzed by quantitative 3D imaging

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During embryonic development and tissue repair, cells move over long distances and undergo dramatic changes in shape, and in so doing, they push, pull and deform their neighbors. Therefore, an exquisite degree of coordination is necessary to preserve the integrity of tissues when cells move or generate physical forces. Although the main molecular players involved in force generation are known, the mechanisms by which cells coordinate their behaviors remain a mystery, mainly because it is difficult to establish the initial events that trigger cells to act together. Notably, wound healing in embryos of many different species is driven by the coordinated generation of force by the cells adjacent to the wound. In wound healing one can clearly establish and deliver at will the signal that induces cell coordination (the wound), making it an ideal system to investigate the mechanisms of coordinated force generation.